An estimated 30% of Americans are nearsighted, while about 60% of Americans are farsighted.
Here is the basic difference between a nearsighted person as compared to a farsighted person: The nearsighted person cannot clearly focus on an object that is far away in the distance; the farsighted person cannot clearly focus on an image that is near.
Now, if you were a coach, and had to choose between being nearsighted or being farsighted, which would you choose? To answer this question, let me share a true story.
In our church, we have two coaches that know our family very well. Let's call them Coach #1 and Coach #2. In fact, we see both coaches at least once every week. Both coaches know that Tojyea (T), our son, loves to play basketball and is very skillful at the game. In fact, T plays on his school team. T, who is 12 years of age is also the drummer for our church ~ not that his drumming has anything to do with his athletic skills, or does it?
Recently, Coach #1 took time to put a basketball team together for the annual Black Expo league in Owensboro, Kentucky. Focused on talents that he's aware of throughout the community, Coach #1 completely forgot to put T on his team; he didn't even talk to the boy about it.
Just one day before the games began, Coach #2 found out that T was not yet on a team, though this young man really wanted to play in the Black Expo. So Coach #2 urgently contacted another coach (Coach #3) who had a team in the league, and asked him if he could use one fine little player. Coach #3 jumped at the opportunity, hoping he might stumble upon a leader for his team of 7th & 8th grade boys.
Well, it so happened that Coach #1's team was matched against Coach #3's team in both teams' first game of the league. When the final whistle sounded 24 minutes later, the scoreboard showed that Coach #3's team had won Coach #1's team by 3 points.
Little T happened to have been the unofficial MVP of the game, with the most number of points and assists. He proved to be an excellent point guard.
Shortly after the game, Coach #2 walked over to Coach #1 and kinda robbed it in: "You should have put T on your team. He's right there in church with us, and he's the one that beat your team tonight."
So what happened here? Well, you could say that Coach #1 was farsighted. He was able to see the "talented" players that were in the distance, but missed the real talent that was close up.
Often in life, we are like Coach #1. We go out looking for opportunity, searching for greener grass over yonder, when the game winner could be right in front of us, just right there under the nose.
You know, being visionary does not always have to mean the ability to see things far away. Sometimes the most visionary thing to do is to see the opportunity that is staring at us.
When it comes to opportunity, it is OK to be nearsighted every now and then. Take from a farsighted coach who lost the game.
Here is the basic difference between a nearsighted person as compared to a farsighted person: The nearsighted person cannot clearly focus on an object that is far away in the distance; the farsighted person cannot clearly focus on an image that is near.
Now, if you were a coach, and had to choose between being nearsighted or being farsighted, which would you choose? To answer this question, let me share a true story.
In our church, we have two coaches that know our family very well. Let's call them Coach #1 and Coach #2. In fact, we see both coaches at least once every week. Both coaches know that Tojyea (T), our son, loves to play basketball and is very skillful at the game. In fact, T plays on his school team. T, who is 12 years of age is also the drummer for our church ~ not that his drumming has anything to do with his athletic skills, or does it?
Recently, Coach #1 took time to put a basketball team together for the annual Black Expo league in Owensboro, Kentucky. Focused on talents that he's aware of throughout the community, Coach #1 completely forgot to put T on his team; he didn't even talk to the boy about it.
Just one day before the games began, Coach #2 found out that T was not yet on a team, though this young man really wanted to play in the Black Expo. So Coach #2 urgently contacted another coach (Coach #3) who had a team in the league, and asked him if he could use one fine little player. Coach #3 jumped at the opportunity, hoping he might stumble upon a leader for his team of 7th & 8th grade boys.
Well, it so happened that Coach #1's team was matched against Coach #3's team in both teams' first game of the league. When the final whistle sounded 24 minutes later, the scoreboard showed that Coach #3's team had won Coach #1's team by 3 points.
Little T happened to have been the unofficial MVP of the game, with the most number of points and assists. He proved to be an excellent point guard.
Shortly after the game, Coach #2 walked over to Coach #1 and kinda robbed it in: "You should have put T on your team. He's right there in church with us, and he's the one that beat your team tonight."
So what happened here? Well, you could say that Coach #1 was farsighted. He was able to see the "talented" players that were in the distance, but missed the real talent that was close up.
Often in life, we are like Coach #1. We go out looking for opportunity, searching for greener grass over yonder, when the game winner could be right in front of us, just right there under the nose.
You know, being visionary does not always have to mean the ability to see things far away. Sometimes the most visionary thing to do is to see the opportunity that is staring at us.
When it comes to opportunity, it is OK to be nearsighted every now and then. Take from a farsighted coach who lost the game.
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